Nicole sat on the couch staring at the door to her quarters. Desperate to run. Anywhere. To Waverly. Unable to stop her body shaking, tides of nausea forcing her to act. She bent over, managing to miss her boots.
A pounding in her head, tightening in her chest. Panic setting in. She stood, head spinning, narrowly avoiding what had been evacuated from her stomach. The sickly smell of alcohol hitting her nostrils.
She had to get air. She would go after Waverly. Steal a craft. Rescue her. They could go anywhere. Just the two of them. Free spirits in search of glory. Bad idea. She could hardly see straight, let alone fly a craft. She had to do something. She couldn't breathe. Where was Waverly?
Stolen from her.
Air. She needed air. She staggered towards the door, her mind screaming for Waverly. She used the wall of the corridor to guide her to the elevator. Doors opened. She stood, no longer knowing where to go, what to do.
She was powerless. Completely and utterly powerless. Unable to bring her back. Everyone had control of her life. Pulling at her strings. Making her dance to their tune. She couldn't think. She couldn't breathe. An unbearable pain in her chest. Her body fell in a heap inside the elevator.
Rosita was the first to find her. She called for help. They brought her to the medical bay, the holistic program administering sedation. Her heart rate slowed, breathing eased. Doc would leave her sleep out her nightmare. He stood watching her. The daughter of his dear friend reduced to this because of his actions.
He was beginning to have second thoughts. His decision to advise Legion had been a knee-jerk reaction to what Chetri had witnessed. A raging hangover had not helped. He acted, without considering the options, or consequences. Not the way he usually operated, preferring careful consideration before acting.
Annoyed at Nicole for not telling him, he considered it wiser to extract Waverly as quickly as possible. No discussion. No debate. No argument. Get her off the ship. Legion agreed. Better to remove the problem cadet, than throw away a Commander, especially one who would be an Elder.
If only Nicole recognised the power she wielded. She had always believed she was powerless against those who ruled her life. Far from it.
She had more power than she knew.
Power resting in one word.
One powerful word...
NO.
She could have threatened Legion with her resignation unless Waverly remained on her ship. With war looming, Legion would have bowed to her demand. Probably. A gamble. A risky gamble. Banking on Legion not wanting to lose face. They needed her. Did it even matter whose face was lost? She had the power to do what she wanted with her life.
If only someone had advised her to stand up to Legion. With her father dead, she had no one to guide her except Doc. The person she thought she could trust. The person who had conspired with Legion to banish her guiding star. All in a misguided attempt to keep her out of trouble.
Free from embarrassment.
...---... ...---... ...---...
Waverly sat alone behind the pilot, watching as Nicole's ship grew smaller in the window, eventually disappearing into the darkness. Their connection severed. A scout craft, dispatched from Mars under Legion's instructions, was taking her to Dolls. His ship was already on its way to rendezvous with another cargo of weapons. It would take several hours for the craft to catch up with it.
She pulled at several loose strands of hair, lost in thought. Lost without Nicole. Her Nicole, more vulnerable than she would ever admit. More inclined to repress than express her true feelings. The beautiful soul, with lost puppy eyes, who had entered her heart. Now she was leaving her behind. Not knowing when, if, she would see her again.
Why did this have to happen? Why couldn't everyone turn a blind eye? They were harming no one. It was all so pointless. At least Nicole still had her job. At least they had not been thrown out of the military in disgrace. It no longer mattered. The look on Nicole's face as they parted told her she had been defeated. Crushed. It was wicked of Doc, Legion, to do this. Why could they not see how sensitive she was? To those unable to see the real Nicole, she was merely a pawn, in some stupid game, to be used.
She knew Nicole would be wracked with guilt, believing she caused this. It was never her fault. Rules. Stupid rules. Benefitting who? One drunken mistake. Yes, they had been careless. Yes, they had taken risks. Been foolish. Their punishment. Separation.
The pilot manoeuvred the craft onto its new course. The monitor began flashing. They were being followed. A larger ship was travelling at speed towards them. Not a Union ship. A rebel ship, in search of anything it could get its hands on. Svane's orders, to only target food, ignored in favour of richer pickings. Craft parts fetching a better price than grain.
The pilot turned to Waverly. "This could get bumpy. I'll try to dodge."
Waverly knew it was pointless attempting to evade whatever had them in their sights. No amount of manoeuvring would help. Even she, an intuitive pilot, knew they could not outrun, outmanoeuvre. If this was it, if she was going to die, she hoped it would be over quickly.
Her grip tightened, body tensing, ready for whatever was about to happen. A shot hit the side of the craft, bouncing off its shields. Another, stronger, knocking the craft off course. And another. They would not survive much longer. Their shields providing limited protection against such weapons. Warning shots. Whoever was firing wanted the craft, otherwise they would have blasted them to pieces.
The pilot sent out a distress signal. "We're under attack. Repeat, we're under attack."
The rebel ship came alongside. "Let us board."
The pilot hesitated, knowing the fate of those who let pirates on board.
"We board, or we blow you up."
The pilot released the door, waiting for the thud as the rebel ship connected with theirs. The door of the craft opened. A large, bearded figure entered, looking around, followed by an older woman.
The woman spoke. "This is ours now."
There was no escape. No point fighting. Not yet. Not until Waverly could assess the situation. Any advantage in killing these two would be lost the moment their crew found out.
The woman stood in front of Waverly eyeing her sword. "Andherei. Even better. They will pay us well."
She grabbed Waverly by the arm, dragging her out, motioning to the pilot to follow.
Waverly was now a prisoner.
Doc received the news. The rebels had her. Her whereabouts unknown. He rubbed his eyes, his head still recovering. He made his way to the medical bay, standing outside for an eternity. She was waking up. Still drowsy. Doc entered, standing some distance away. Hanging back, watching, as if waiting for forgiveness. His look told Nicole something was very wrong.
"Waverly's craft has been captured."
Nicole launched at Doc. Hitting out, aiming as many blows as she could before being stopped. He let her. He deserved this. He deserved every drop of hatred she had for him. Exhausted, unable to land any more punches she fell to her knees sobbing.
"Why?"
"We get her back. Listen to me. We get her back."
Nicole looked up at Doc. "You did this. You killed her."
"She's Andherei. Too valuable."
Nicole screamed the words. "To me. Valuable to me. Only me."
"I know. I..."
Doc stopped. No words would bring Waverly back. Only action. He wanted to tell her he made the wrong decision. Wrong decision, right decision. Pointless. The time for words was over. The time for rescuing Waverly upon them.
He held out a hand. "Stand up. We need to work out a plan. Come."
Nicole hit it away. She hated him. No longer trusted him. Waverly was in trouble because of him. His actions had put her in danger. There was no guarantee she was alive. Yet, something deep within was telling her she was. Still alive. She could feel her. Feel her heart beating. Waverly was alive. Scared. But, alive.
Nicole no longer wanted Doc's help. Not after what he had done. She also knew she couldn't get Waverly back on her own. She stood. She needed Commander Earp.
She headed for the Coms room, Doc following.
...---... ...---... ...---...
Wynonna was silent as Nicole gave her the news.
Wynonna responded. "I'm going to tear your fucking head off Haught."
Doc interrupted. "Commander Earp, it was I who made your sister leave the ship. It's me who you need to be angry with."
"Angry. I'm fucking beyond angry. I don't even know the word."
Doc attempted to assist. "Furious."
"Your fucking head is fucking coming off too, whoever you are."
Nicole was beginning to wonder whether involving Wynonna was such a good idea afterall. She had no choice. She was her best hope. "Waverly said one word before she left. Your name."
Wynonna was still cursing. She paused. "Have you mixed yet?"
"Mixed?"
"Have you, how can I put this, shared energies while shagging?"
"There may have been one occasion, where..."
"For all the fucking Gods on Gideon. Haught. Did you, or didn't you?"
"Yes."
"Oh, Waverly, you naughty clever girl. Haught, welcome to the family."
"I don't understand."
"Simple. Waverly sensed the time was right to mix with you. To become connected. Only when a person is ready can the connection be made. She saw it in your eyes."
"So, I'm. And she's. And we're..."
"Got it. You should be able to feel her energy if she's projecting it. Has she done that with you?"
"No. I don't think so. Wait. Yes, in the bar. I was watching her and suddenly I felt her love. She's alive. I can feel she's alive."
"Yes. She sent energy to me too. Wondered why?"
"Can I send her my energy?"
"Should be able to, if I teach you. It won't be as strong. You don't have a neuro booster. I can help boost your energy."
"How?"
"I need to get to you."
"But, won't that be breaking the rules?"
"Seriously Haught. What my sister ever saw in you."
Wynonna's ship was one jump away. Her ability to accidentally 'lose' communications with Legion were legendary. She was as bad as the pirates for doing her own thing, if she felt it was the right thing to do. Nicole was gaining a true ally. Someone who would teach her that following the rules wasn't always the best way to get things done.